SAG-AFTRA Settles Unfair Labor Practice Charges Against Telemundo

Labor News, Industry News

SAG-AFTRA has settled three unfair labor practice charges with Telemundo filed on behalf of the Spanish-language network’s telenovela performers. The settlement, which corrects the misclassification of Telemundo performers as independent contractors and reclassifies them as employees, was reached after a year of litigation and days before a trial at the National Labor Relations Board.

“This is a major victory for Spanish-language performers,” SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris said. “This is an important step towards ending the unfairness that separates Telemundo performers from their English-language counterparts in the television industry. We will not rest until the Telemundo performers work under terms that are fair and just.”

“We’re getting closer to achieving our goal of establishing equity for Spanish-language performers and this outcome is a step in the right direction,” SAG-AFTRA national executive director David White said.

As part of the settlement, Telemundo also agreed to end its practice of preventing performers from talking about their wages and working conditions and prohibiting them from speaking negatively about Telemundo. It also agreed to end all unlawful performer contract provisions and policies that prevented performers from filing charges with the NLRB and required performers to indemnify Telemundo if it was found to have violated any law.

In March, Telemundo performers voted overwhelmingly to join SAG-AFTRA, marking the first time in more than 55 years that a group of actors at a major television network sought a unionization election. …